pets and petting zoos

Reporting a record year for human illnesses linked to live poultry, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrapped up its investigation this week of eight Salmonella outbreaks that have sickened 895 people across 48 states. That’s more than double the 324 case count in June when the CDC initially announced the outbreaks. The first… Continue Reading

With chick-hatching season in full-swing, Food Safety News visited Michelle Boman, Operations Manager at the Grange Supply store in Issaquah, Wash., to discuss the best practices for handling chicks to avoid possible Salmonella contamination.

The United Kingdom’s High Court has found a Surrey county petting farm liable for a 2009 E. coli outbreak that sickened 93 people, including 76 children under the age of 10, Smallholder Magazine reports. Several children suffered acute kidney failure and required dialysis following their infections, resulting in some likely experiencing permanent kidney problems. In… Continue Reading

Amie Westfall is suing the Cleveland County Fair in Shelby, North Carolina after her 18-month-old son Dominic suffered from a severe E. coli infection as part of last month’s outbreak tied to the fair’s petting zoo, Circle G Ranch. According to the North Carolina Department of Health, there were 106 reported illnesses and 1 death… Continue Reading

At least 10 people have fallen ill with E. coli infections beginning in mid-October after visiting a petting zoo and pumpkin patch in Washington state, the Oregonian reports. The owners of Willow Grove Gardens Pumpkin Patch voluntarily closed the premises after new sinks for hand-washing failed to prevent visitors from getting sick. The sinks had… Continue Reading

Last month, a toddler died from an E. coli infection acquired at a county fair. Petting zoos have caused dozens of outbreaks in the last decade, all while experts struggle to make them safer.

Katie Maness was 13 years old when her parents took her and two friends to the 2004 North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. It was a beautiful October day, as her mother Becky recalls years later, and the three girls were excited to visit the petting zoo on their own. Inside the zoo exhibit, the… Continue Reading

Officials: Petting zoo to blame

More than a month has passed since the first of the 106 victims in North Carolina’s Cleveland County Fair E. coli outbreak began showing symptoms of infection. This week brought bittersweet news regarding two of those victims. First, the good: After 35 days in care, 12-year-old Jordan McNair was discharged from Levine Children’s Hospital in… Continue Reading

The North Carolina Department of Health has revised the number ill in the Cleveland County Fair E. coli outbreak to 100 people, the agency announced Tuesday. The agency previously believed to have 106 people ill last Friday, and then revised the number to 98 on Monday. A 2 year-old boy died from complications of his… Continue Reading